Engine



W. HENSON June 1, 1943 ENGINE Filed May 24, 1941 2 Sheets-Sheet l June 1, 1943. w. HENSON 2,320,928

ENGINE Filed May 24, 1941 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR. 71 2-152 A Zwsozv WWW Patented June 1, 1943 UNITED snares PATEN FFICE ENGINE. West Henson, New York, N. Y. I Application May 24, 1941, Serial No. 395,001

5 Claims. (01. 123-51 2 This invention relates to engines, such as gasolene engines, and the like motors.

An object of this invention is to provid an engine of the character described, in which a pair of pistons are mounted in one cylinder, and the expansive or explosive force is fed between the pistons to move them in opposite directions, the engine further being provided with means to transmit the power created by each piston to a common rotary shaft.

A further object of this invention is to provide a strong, durable engine of the character described, which shall be relatively inexpensive to manufacture, smooth and positive in operation and yet practical and efficient to a high degree in use.

Other objects of this invention will in part be obvious and in part hereinafter pointed out.

The invention accordingly consists in the features of construction, combinations of elements, l

and arrangement of parts which will be exemplified in the construction hereinafter described, and of which the scope of application will be indicated in the following claims.

In the accompanying drawings, in which is shown one of the various possible illustrative embodiments of this invention,

Fig. 1 is an elevational View of an engine embodying the invention, with parts broken away and in cross-section; and showing the position of the parts before firing; and

Fig. 2 is a view similar to Fig. 1, and showing the parts after firing.

Referring now in detail to the drawings, Iii designates an engine embodying the invention mounted on any suitable frame supports I I. The engine comprises a casing I2, within which is a cylinder I3, in which are mounted a pair of oppositely disposed pistons I 4.

Mounted on the casing I2, on opposite sides of the cylinder A3, are crank shafts I5. There is further mounted on the casing I2, and below the cylinder I3, a crank shaft IT. The cylinder I3 is provided at the mid portion thereof with a fuel inlet valve and an exhaust valve 2|.

On crank shaft I1 is a cam 24 to control the operation of the exhaust valve 2|. Adjacent the fuel inlet valve 20 is a spark 25 to fire the fuel gases entering the explosion chamber.

Interconnecting the pistons I4 and the crank shafts I5 are connecting rods 30. Interconnecting the crank shaft I! with the crank shafts I5 are downwardly and inwardly inclined connecting rods 3|. Attached to one of the crank shafts I5, is a connecting rod 33 connected at its upper end to a cam 34 pivoted on a bracket 35 fixed to the casing. Cam 34 is adapted to control the operation of the inlet valve 29.

It is understood that the operation of the valves 20 and 2| are timed in synchronization with the operation of the engine.

In Fig. 1 the engine is shown before explosion. When the pistons I4 move inwardly, the valve 2| first opens to exhaust the gases. Then the valve 2| closes and the valve 2c is opened to admit a fresh supply of fuel. Any usual means for firing the spark plug may be employed to explode the gases, and the pistons are moved away from each other to turn the crank shafts I5 by means of the connecting rods. Rotation of the crank shafts I5 causes rotation of the crank shaft I I due to the connecting rods 3|.

Thus, the power created by the movement of both pistons is transmitted to the crank shaft I1.

It will thus be seen that there is provided a device in which the several objects of this invention are achieved, and which is well adapted to meet the conditions of practical use.

As various possible embodiments might be made of the above invention, and as various changes might be made in the embodiment above set forth, it is to be understood that all matter herein set forth or shown in the accompanying drawings is to be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent:

1. An engine comprising a cylinder, a pai of pistons in said cylinder, an inlet valve on said cylinder, an exhaust valve thereon, a pair of crank shafts disposed on opposite sides of said pistons, connecting rods interconnecting said pistons to said crank shafts respectively, a common crank shaft, connecting rods interconnecting said pair of crank shafts with said common crank shaft, means on said output shaft to operate said exhaust valve in synchronization with the movements of said pistons, and means on one of said crank shafts to operate said inlet valve.

2. An engine comprising a casing of generally triangular shape, the apex of which is at the bottom, a cylinder within the central upper part of the casing, a pair of pistons in the cylinder, a pair of crank shafts in the upper outer corners in the casing, means interconnecting said pistons with said pair of crank shafts, a, common output shaft in the lower portion of the casing adjacent the apex thereof, means interconnecting said common output shaft with said crank shafts, an inlet valve at the top of the mid portion of said cylinder, a pivoted cam to operate said valve, and an arm on said cam, a rod connecting said arm to one of said pair of crank shafts to operate said cam.

3. An engine comprising a casing of generally triangular shape, the apex of which is at the bottom, a cylinder within the central upper part of the casing, a pair of pistons in the cylinder, a pair of crank shafts in the upper outer corners in the casing, means interconnecting said pistons with said pair of crank shafts, a common output shaft in the lower portion of the casing adjacent the apex thereof, means interconnecting said common output shaft with said crank shafts, an inlet valve on said cylinder, at pivoted cam to operate said valve, means connected to one .of said pair of crank shafts to operate said cam, an exhaust valve on said cylinder, and a cam on said output shaft, to operate said exhaust valve.

4, An engine comprising a {casing of generally triangular shape, the apex of which is at the bottom, a cylinder within the central upp r Part of the casing, a pair of pistons in the cylinder, a

7 pair of crank shafts in the upper outer corners in the casing, means interconnecting said pistons with said pair of crank shafts, a common output shaft in the lower portion of the casing adjacent the apex thereof, means interconnecting said common output shaft with said crank shafts, an inlet valve at the top of the mid-portion of said cylinder, a pivoted cam to operate said valve, and an arm on said cam, a rod connecting said arm to one of said pair of crank shafts to operate said cam, an exhaust valve at the bottom of the midportion of said cylinder, and a cam on said output shaft for operating said exhaust valve.

5. An engine comprising a cylinder, a pair of istons in said cylinder, a pair of crank shafts, means interconnecting said pistons with said pair of crank shafts respectively, a common output shaft below said cylinder, means interconnecting said common output shaft with said crank shafts, an inlet valve at the top of the midportion of said cylinder, a pivoted cam to operate said valve, a rod interconnecting said cam with one of the said pair of crank shafts to operate said cam, an exhaust valve at the bottom of the mid-portion of said cylinder, and a cam on said output shaft for operating said exhaust valve.

WEST 'HENSON. 

